Noah couldn't help but start planning his return to the human domain now that he had stabilized his battle prowess in the eighth rank. He wanted to see his friends, and the constant fights against those simple magical beasts had started to bore him.
The magical beasts' domain was perfect for gathering resources. Those regions had also benefitted Noah's ambition since he had fought countless creatures stronger than him.
However, that domain had limits, especially for existences that needed to enhance their laws. Noah could seize countless valuable resources and find excellent training areas, but the inheritances could give him far more.
It would have been different if Noah were a magical beast or a hybrid that didn't have steep requirements to improve. Yet, he needed to interact with other cultivators to strengthen an essential part of his existence.
Noah had to return to the human domain. He could still improve fighting magical beasts, but that approach would soon reach its limits.
'When should I try to return?' Noah wondered while continuing to cultivate.
He didn't have a correct answer to that question. It would be perfect if Noah could confirm that his battle prowess allowed him to handle rank 8 cultivators before returning, but that was impossible inside the magical beasts' domain.
Noah could only guess how powerful those existences were for the time being. His few interactions with cultivators at that level didn't let him grasp the entirety of their abilities. NovelsToday.com
Fergie gave Noah a mountain of Soul Stones when the latter exited his cave. The group had seized the entirety of the mine. His new finances amounted to more than a million Soul Stones after that meeting.
Even guilds couldn't obtain that sum, but Noah had gathered it after a single battle. He was filthy rich now, and that without considering the countless resources stored inside his separate space.
'I could buy entire regions in the human domain with this sum,' Noah thought before focusing on Fergie.
"How much did you learn about the secret organization before the events with the Crystal City?" Noah asked.
That sudden question surprised Fergie. The expert had felt happy that Noah was finally ready to move again, but he didn't expect that his leader had already begun to plan the return to the human domain.
Fergie had been free of Noah's control for entire centuries, but he had remained loyal to him during that time. The secret organizations had eventually discovered him, but he had remained one of its pawns for a while.
The expert had also reached the liquid stage during that period, which had granted him a better position inside the secret organization. Fergie had to know more compared to when he was under Noah's control.
"Not much," Fergie replied. "Secrecy is a must in the secret organization, so only the rank 8 experts have a general idea of how large it is. Still, most of them don't even know how many cells their force has."
"Do you know if one of them wants to damage the Crystal City?" Noah asked.
"That's for sure," Fergie replied before explaining better. "I don't know who they are, but I am aware of their existence. Any large force has allies and enemies among the secret organization."
That information didn't help Noah. He wanted to know if Fergie could find leads about the new location of the Crystal City. He didn't care about the political environment of the human domain.
"We shouldn't give our enemies the time to prepare for our arrival," Noah said. "I would rather attack the Crystal City before even stepping inside the human domain. I only don't know how to find it."
Fergie fell deep into his thoughts. His position inside the secret organization had been too low to grant him information about the other cells, but an idea formed in his mind anyway.
"We might not need to rely on the secret organization," Fergie eventually said. "We already know that the Crystal City has allies among the magical beasts' domain. We can ask them if they know where it is."
Noah's eyes widened. That solution was far better than his initial idea. He even knew who they had to find to learn about that information.
'The leader of the Rats might know it,' Noah considered inside his mind. 'Those creatures must have had a tight relationship with the Crystal City to prepare that ambush. The attack of the Legion shouldn't have changed their situation.'
"Are we going back to the human domain?" Fergie asked, but Noah promptly shook his head.
"Not yet," Noah replied. "This army is too weak, and the same goes for us. Let's turn once we reach the end of the magical beasts' domain."
Fergie nodded, and Noah gave voice to a roar to notify his troops. The various magical beasts that had filled the region converged toward his position, and the Foolery also left their lairs to fly toward him.
The pigs had turned that region into a blue paradise, so the various beasts in Noah's army didn't need to hunt in that period. Some of them had even given birth to weaker specimens during those years, and their overall power had increased.
"Are we ready to move again?" The rank 8 pig asked, and Noah limited himself to nod.
The group moved toward the next region and resumed their long journey. Both Noah and the rank 8 Foolery had silently agreed that they would turn once they reached the end of the domain, but they didn't rush that exploration.
The army went from region to region, fighting all the packs that featured opponents at their level. Noah's underlings constantly increased, and the overall power of the group grew as they faced countless battles.
Noah and the others never stopped. They didn't even need to take long periods of rest anymore since most of their battles ended up in overwhelming victories.
The group now had the rank 8 Foolery, Noah, and Duanlong. Their battle prowess surpassed what packs featuring creatures in the lower tier of the eighth rank could achieve.
Noah's stash of materials increased, and his expertise did the same. His foundation also improved as those fights honed his techniques and battle style.
The long journey continued until the group reached a sea filled with white water. The wind also blew in those regions. It was clear that the group had stepped in the areas before the Outer Lands.
The sea radiated a dangerous sensation. Powerful creatures inhabited its waters, and Noah had no intention to venture through them at his level.
He couldn't even see the end of that area. Noah and his group would die if they found themselves surrounded by a series of rank 8 creatures that they couldn't defeat.
The sea covered all the regions in Noah's view. He couldn't see any safe passage. He couldn't even find regions untouched by its waters.
It didn't take Noah much to accept that his long journey was over. He had reached areas that cultivators completely ignored, and he had also built a powerful force along the way.
Yet, the journey had come to an end. The magical beasts' domain still had countless unexplored lands, but most of them featured creatures that Noah couldn't face. Even if he could beat them, Noah would probably avoid them now that he had reached the edges of that wild area.
'It's time to go back,' Noah thought before turning in the opposite direction of the sea.
The others in his group noticed his action and the determination that it radiated. They immediately understood what that gesture meant, and his cold expression also warned them about his seriousness.
It was time to stop playing around and begin the hardest part of their journey. The group had to survive the reentry into the human domain.